More doe permits may be offered

In the coming months, Department of Natural Resources officials will make a determination on antlerless permit availability for each county in the state.

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By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Cheboygan Daily Tribune - Cheboygan, MI

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Posted Mar. 22, 2013 at 10:55 PM

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Posted Mar. 22, 2013 at 10:55 PM

CHEBOYGAN

In the coming months, Department of Natural Resources officials will make a determination on antlerless permit availability for each county in the state.

“We look at the buck harvest and the winter severity,” explained DNR Wildlife biologist Brian Mastenbrook. “We also at the herd and how much its growing, if its growing at all.”

Despite what feels like an epically daunting winter, the Cheboygan-area deer herd is looking good, still in a pattern of grow, which could lead to more doe permits being offered for 2013.

“You know, it feels like winter has been really dragging on, but it didn’t start until January 15 or so,” Mastenbrook explained. “It hasn’t been going that long and as far as temperatures go, these teen and 20s don’t bother deer. They don’t even shiver. The herd is growing in the area.”

More deer is a good thing for hunters. One of the obvious benefits is the potential to have a doe harvest without negatively impacting the recovery of the herd.

The first step in increasing the number of doe permits in Cheboygan County is DNR biologists making such a recommendation to the Natural Resources Commission. Though the specifics of the biologists’ recommendations won’t be revealed until they are officially presented at the May NRC meeting, it is conceivable for doe permits to be offered in Cheboygan County in 2013.

Last year, 2012, was the first time antlerless permits were made available in Cheboygan County in four years. A growing deer herd, average winter, and healthy buck harvest could mean even more permits in 2013.

“That’s something we’ll be looking closely before we make our May recommendation, but I can’t say anything specifically right now,” Mastenbrook noted.

After the May meeting, when biologists present their opinions, the NRC will have one month to consider the recommendations before making a final decision at the June NRC meeting.

If doe permits are, in fact offered, it will be the result of a healthy recovery from consecutive difficult winters.

“Deer numbers have come back gradually, which is good,” explained Ashley Autenreth, northern Michigan deer herd specialist with the DNR. “You never want numbers to increase or decrease too quickly.”

Determining the health of a deer herd across and area as large as a county is a difficult task, one that takes a significant amount of time and data. DNR officials use several factors to judge the overall health of the area deer herd.